Camp Cat
by suzie2b
Summary: A continuation to All For One & One For All. Tully Crutches Cats Trouble


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Camp Cat**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Tully had been released from medical the day before and was heading back to his tent after lunch to rest. He was limping badly, but had the crutches he'd been given slung over his shoulder.**

 **A rough voice called, "Private Pettigrew!"**

 **Tully stopped in his tracks. He'd been caught. He turned around slowly and said, "Hi, sarge."**

 **Sergeant Troy was striding quickly in his direction. "What in the heck do you think you're doing?"**

" **Just had lunch and was heading home before the medicine kicks in. I thought you and Moffitt had an assignment."**

" **We just got back … and don't change the subject. What did the doctor tell you about those crutches?"**

" **He said I have to keep them with me at all times." Tully indicated the crutches with his free hand. "They have been with me the entire time."**

 **Troy sighed, took the crutches from Tully's shoulder and handed them back to him. "The doctor also said your leg will heal a lot faster if you stay off it … so use 'em. And that's an order."**

 **Tully sighed as he took the crutches and slipped one under each arm.**

" **Look Tully, we want you and Hitch back … sooner rather than later. They gave us Anderson and Wilson as fill-ins for you two."**

 **Tully chuckled, "Eric Anderson? Really?"**

 **Troy nodded. "Moffitt will be complaining about aches and pains for a week. I'm on my way to talk to Captain Boggs about him. That guy should not be driving." He looked at Tully and noticed his eyes were beginning to glaze over as the pain medication took hold. "Come on. Let's get you to your tent before you fall and break something."**

 **######################**

 **Tully had been sleeping with his injured leg on a pillow for a couple of hours. As he slowly started to wake up, he noticed a light weight on his chest. Tully opened his eyes and blinked to clear his vision. Then he smiled and said, "Hi, Bast." He reached up and scratched the grey cat behind the ears. "What are you doing here?"**

 **Bast meowed and pushed against his hand.**

 **Tully then looked around the tent. It was entirely too quiet. "Where's your kittens?"**

 **Another meow and Bast jumped down. As she reached the tent flap, she stopped and turn to look at Tully.**

 **Tully sat up. Bast trotted back to him and pushed against his leg. "Are you trying to tell me something?"**

 **Bast went back to the tent flap, turned and meowed loudly.**

" **Okay. Just let me put my boots on."**

 **######################**

 **Troy and Moffitt caught up with Hitch in the tent he shared with Tully.**

 **Moffitt asked, "How are you feeling, Hitch?"**

 **Hitch smiled. "A lot better … so long as I don't move too fast."**

" **We wanted to check on Tully. He's supposed to stay off his leg."**

 **Hitch shrugged, "I haven't seen him since this morning."**

 **Troy scowled as he spotted a pair of crutches leaning against the foot of Tully's bunk. "Damn it! I warned him." He grabbed the crutches and looked at Moffitt, "We better go find him."**

 **Hitch slowly started to get up while holding his ribs. "I'll go with you."**

" **Sorry, but Moffitt and I will be able to move faster on our own. You stay put. And if Tully comes back before we do … tie him to that bunk."**

" **Right, sarge."**

 **As they left, Moffitt said, "We should split up."**

 **Troy nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure he hasn't gone too far."**

 **They were just about to go their separate ways when Private Johnson stopped them. He pointed at the crutches Troy still held. "Hey, are you looking for Pettigrew?"**

 **Moffitt said, "Yes, we are. Have you seen him?"**

 **Johnson nodded. "Yeah. About a half hour ago. Behind the motor pool on the hill."**

 **Troy glowered as he let out a sigh and thought, "I'm gonna kill him." Then said, "Okay, thanks. Let's go, Moffitt."**

 **######################**

 **Bast seemed a little impatient with how slowly Tully was moving. The cat sat on a rock and meowed until he caught up to her.**

 **As he reached Bast, Tully said, "I'm doing the best I can. I wish I'd grabbed those darn crutches when we left." He looked up at the top of the rocky hill. "Hope it's not much farther. Sarge is going to kill me if finds out."**

 **With a flick of her tail Bast turned and headed up the hill again. Tully did his best to keep up with her.**

 **At the top of the hill, Tully followed the cat to a boulder that jutted out over the opposite side of the hill. Tully looked over the edge. It was a lot steeper than the side they'd climbed up.**

 **Bast continued to meow and began to pace. Upon hearing their momma's voice, two four-week old kittens came out of the hiding place where Bast had left them.**

 **Tully turned and looked at the kittens, then said, "Where are the other two?" He frowned as he again looked over the edge of the cliff. Suddenly he spotted movement on a small ledge about eight feet down. "You have got to be kidding me. How in the heck did they get down there?" Tully looked at Bast. "How am I going to get to them?" He studied the cliff face. "Looks like there's enough places to put my feet and hands. I suppose I could climb down…"**

 **Bast let out a yowl, as if to say, "Just do it already!"**

" **Alright … alright. I'm going." Tully sat down and swung his legs over the edge, then took a deep breath and began to lower himself down.**

 **Things went well at first. Tully was able to find hand and footholds as he ignored the pain in his leg. He made it to the ledge and stopped for a minute to catch his breath.**

 **One of the kittens started to make her way up his pant leg with her brother following suit. Tully couldn't help but smile. When the first kitten reached his hip, Tully picked her up and tucked her inside his shirt, then did the same with the second one.**

 **As Tully buttoned his shirt, he suddenly thought, "How am I gonna get back up?" At this point he could barely put any weight on his injured leg. There was no way he was going to be able to climb. He looked up to see Bast looking back. "Do you think you could go get some help?" The cat meowed. Tully sighed, "Guess not."**

 **Then, just as he decided he'd just have to suck it up and climb, Tully heard someone call out his name. He held his breath until he heard it again, then yelled, "Hey, Sarge! I'm here!"**

 **Troy yelled, "Tully … where's here?"**

" **Look for Bast!"**

 **Troy gave Moffitt a puzzled look and Moffitt smiled as he looked around, "Bast is a camp cat who has attached herself to Tully." Moffitt spotted the cat. "There she is."**

 **The two sergeants ran to where Bast was sitting and Troy called out Tully's name.**

" **I'm down here, sarge."**

 **Troy and Moffitt looked over the edge and spotted him.**

 **Moffitt asked, "How'd you get down there, Tully?"**

 **Tully shrugged, "It's a long story. Think you can maybe help me up?"**

 **Troy growled, "I ordered you to stay off that leg! We ought to leave you where you are!"**

 **Tully knew he was in trouble. "Sorry, sarge."**

 **Moffitt started to take his belt off. "Come on, Troy. We'll use this to help pull him up."**

 **Using the belt like a rope, Moffitt pulled as Troy reached down to grab Tully's hand. Together they hoisted him up and over the edge of the cliff.**

 **Tully sat down on a rock as Troy asked, "Are you all right?"**

 **Not looking up, Tully said, "I'm good. Just sore."**

 **Moffitt said, "You could have broken your neck, Tully. What were you thinking?"**

 **Unbuttoning his shirt, Tully produced the two kittens as Bast looked at him expectantly.**

" **Kittens? You went after two kittens?"**

 **Watching Bast carefully check each kitten, Tully said, "Well, I couldn't just leave them down there, could I?"**

 **Troy said, "You should've gotten help."**

 **Tully looked up and shrugged, "I didn't think…"**

" **No, obviously you didn't think!"**

 **Moffitt saw Tully flinch and took in the pain and exhaustion on his face. He put a hand on Troy's shoulder. "Yelling at him isn't going to change anything, Troy. We should get him back to his tent."**

 **Troy sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Come on, Tully. Let's go."**

 **Tully said nothing as they helped him stand. Troy handed him the crutches he'd set aside. Tully took them, put one under each arm, and started the trek back to camp.**

 **######################**

 **Hitch heard Troy tell Moffitt to go get the doctor and as the sergeant and private entered the tent, Tully said, "I don't need a doctor."**

 **Troy glared at him.**

 **As Tully sat down on his bunk and started to remove his boots, Hitch asked, "You okay, Tully?"**

 **Tully nodded. "I'm fine."**

 **Troy said, "You will be … as soon as you get it through your skull that you're not superman."**

 **Tully said quietly, "I said I was sorry."**

 **Hitch looked at Troy. "Where did you find him?"**

 **Troy answered, "Other side of the hill behind the motor pool."**

 **Hitch looked at Tully. "That's nothin' but a vertical drop! What in the heck were you doing there?"**

 **Before Tully could say anything, Troy said, "He was rescuing kittens."**

 **Hitch frowned. "Kittens?"**

 **Tully nodded. "Two of Bast's kittens fell and landed on a ledge. So, I went down to get 'em."**

 **Troy said, "Only he didn't think about how he was going to get back up."**

 **Moffitt arrived with the doctor and Tully said, "I'm all right, doc."**

 **Dr. Dillard scowled at Tully as he said, "Let me be the judge of that."**

 **Tully sighed as he pushed himself back and put his leg up.**

 **Several minutes later, Dr. Dillard spoke as he bandaged the leg again, "Well, private, you're lucky. You've irritated the wound, but there's no real damage. Luckily the stitches held." He taped the bandage in place. "Use your pain medication and be sure to take your antibiotics. And for heaven's sake stay** __ **off your leg. I'll see you in a couple of days to change that dressing."**

 **After the doctor had left, Troy said, "All right, Tully, this is how it's going to be. If you don't promise me that you'll stay put or use those crutches to get around, I'm going to put a guard at that door and you won't be going anywhere."**

 **Tully opened his mouth to argue, but saw the look on Troy's face and nodded, "I promise."**

 **Moffitt shook two of the pain pills out of the bottle and handed them to Tully along with some water. "Take those and get some rest. I'll come by later with your supper."**

 **Troy looked at Hitch and said, "You keep an eye on him."**

 **Hitch nodded, "Will do, sarge." After the two sergeants left, he asked Tully, "Was it worth it?"**

 **Without hesitation Tully said, "It was worth it to save the kittens. Not so much when it comes to making Troy angry."**

 **######################**

 **Troy and Moffitt met up again later at the mess tent for supper.**

 **Troy sipped his coffee. He was still agitated. "Can you believe it? He nearly killed himself for two kittens!"**

 **Moffitt smiled, "I remember a time when you rescued a dog…"**

 **Troy scowled, "That was different."**

" **How so?"**

" **Since I had to go after Hitch I figured I'd take care of the dog too." Troy pointed at Moffitt. "And I didn't have thirty stitches in my leg!"**

 **Moffitt said calmly, "But you** _ **were**_ **being shot at."**

 **Troy sighed and looked down as he swirled his coffee.**

" **What's going on, Troy? I've never seen you this upset at Tully … or any of us for that matter."**

 **Without looking up, Troy said, "It scared me." He brought his head up to look at Moffitt. "Every time one of you gets hurt it scares me."**

 **Moffitt said quietly, "You worry more than you admit."**

" **I think of you, Tully, and Hitch as family. So yeah, I worry."**

" **And you've never thought of telling us that? Have you ever thought that Tully, Hitch, and I think the same about you? We** _ **are**_ **like a family, Troy … like brothers."**

 **Troy finally smiled a bit.**

 **Moffitt smiled as well. It was a good time to let the matter drop. "Well, I think I'll take some supper to Tully. Care to join me? Maybe take something along for Hitch?"**

 **Troy nodded as he stood up. "Yeah. Let's go see how they're doing."**


End file.
